See Also

Netherlands Antilles

The Netherlands Antilles , previously known as the Netherlands West Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, are part of the Lesser Antilles Lesser Antilles

The Lesser Antilles are part of the Antilles [i], which together with the Bahamas [i] and Greater Antilles [i] ... 

 and consist of two groups of islands Archipelago

An archipelago is a landform [i] which consists of a chain or cluster of island [i]s. ... 

 in the Caribbean Sea Caribbean Sea

[image:IMG_2908.JPG|thumb|250px|right|A Caribbean beach in Isla Margarita [i], Venezuela [i].]] [i] ... 

 that form an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . The islands' economy is dependent mostly upon tourism Tourism

Tourism is the act of travel [i] for predominantly recreation [i]al or leisure [i] purposes, and also re ... 

 and petroleum Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a black, dark brown or greenish liquid [i] found in porous rock formati ... 

.

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Timeline

1986   Aruba Aruba

|- | align="center" colspan=2 | |- ... 

 gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands Netherlands

The Netherlands is the Europe [i]an part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands [i] , which is formed ... 

 and is separated from the Netherlands Antilles.



Encyclopedia

The Netherlands Antilles , previously known as the Netherlands West Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, are part of the Lesser Antilles Lesser Antilles

The Lesser Antilles are part of the Antilles [i], which together with the Bahamas [i] and Greater Antilles [i]... 

 and consist of two groups of islands Archipelago

An archipelago is a landform [i] which consists of a chain or cluster of island [i]s.... 

 in the Caribbean Sea Caribbean Sea

[image:IMG_2908.JPG|thumb|250px|right|A Caribbean beach in Isla Margarita [i], Venezuela [i].]] [i]
... 

 that form an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . The islands' economy is dependent mostly upon tourism Tourism

Tourism is the act of travel [i] for predominantly recreation [i]al or leisure [i] purposes, and also re ... 

 and petroleum Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a black, dark brown or greenish liquid [i] found in porous rock formati ... 

.

History

See also Dutch colonial empire Dutch Empire

The Dutch Empire is the name given to the various territories controlled by the Netherlands [i] from the ... 

.



Both the leeward and windward island groups were discovered and initially settled by the Spanish Spain

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a Europe [i]an parliamentary monarchy [i].... 

. In the 17th century 17th century

As a means of recording the passage of time [i], the 17th century was that century [i] which lasted from ... 

, the islands were conquered by the Dutch West India Company and were used as bases for slave trade. Only in 1863 was slavery abolished.

In 1954, the islands were promoted from colony to a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands as an associated state within a federacy. The island of Aruba Aruba

|-
| align="center" colspan=2 | |-
... 

 was part of the Netherlands Antilles until 1986, when it was granted a "status apart", and became a separate part of the kingdom. Some of the other islands have indicated that they wish to obtain the same status, but no agreements on this have yet been reached. Other options sometimes considered are independence or together becoming a province of the Netherlands.

Politics


The head of state is the ruling monarch of the Netherlands Netherlands

The Netherlands is the Europe [i]an part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands [i] , which is formed ... 

, who is represented in the Netherlands Antilles by a governor. The governor is also head of the local government, and forms, together with the council of ministers, the executive branch of the government.

The legislative branch Legislature

A legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly [i] with the power to adopt law [i]s. ... 

 is two-layered. Delegates of the islands are represented in the government of the Netherlands Antilles, but each island has its own government that takes care of the daily tasks on the island.

Future status

The idea of the Netherlands Antilles as a state never enjoyed full support of all islands. Political relations between islands were often strained. After a long struggle, Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles to form its own state in 1986 . The desire for secession was also strong in Sint Maarten Saint Martin

Saint Martin is a tropical island [i] in the northeast Caribbean [i], approximately 240 km east of Puerto Rico [i] ... 

.

In 2004 a commission of the governments of the Netherlands Antilles and the Netherlands Netherlands

The Netherlands is the Europe [i]an part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands [i] , which is formed ... 

 reported on a future status for the Netherlands Antilles. The commission advised a revision of the Statute of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in order to dissolve the Netherlands Antilles.

Two new associated states within the Kingdom of the Netherlands would be formed, Curaçao Curaçao

|-
| align="center" colspan=2 | Anthem: Himno di Krsou [i]
... 

 and Sint Maarten Saint Martin

Saint Martin is a tropical island [i] in the northeast Caribbean [i], approximately 240 km east of Puerto Rico [i] ... 

. Bonaire Bonaire

|-
| align="center" colspan=2 | Anthem: Tera di Solo y suave biento [i]
... 

, Saba Saba

Saba is the smallest island [i] of the Netherlands Antilles [i], located at longitude 63.13 degrees West ... 

 and Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius

Sint Eustatius is one of the islands making up the Netherlands Antilles [i]; it is in the northern, Leeward Islands [i] ... 

 would become directly part of the Netherlands Netherlands

The Netherlands is the Europe [i]an part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands [i] , which is formed ... 

 as Kingdom Islands. On November 28, 2005, an agreement was signed between the Dutch government and the governments of each island that would put into effect the commission's findings by July 2007.

Islands


The Netherland Antilles have no major administrative divisions, although each island has its own local government.

The two island groups of which the Netherlands Antilles consists are:

  • the "Leeward Islands" , part of the Leeward Antilles Leeward Antilles

    The Leeward Antilles are a chain of island [i]s in the Caribbean [i] specifically, the southerly island ... 

     island chain off the Venezuelan Venezuela

    Venezuela is a country on the northern tropical [i] Caribbean [i] coast of South America [i] ... 

     coast :

| align="center" colspan=2 | Anthem: Tera di Solo y suave biento [i]
... 

, including an islet called Klein Bonaire Klein Bonaire

Klein Bonaire is a small uninhabited islet [i] off the west coast of the Caribbean [i] island of Bonaire [i]... 



| align="center" colspan=2 | Anthem: Himno di Krsou [i]
... 

, including an islet called Klein Curaçao
  • the "Windward Islands" east of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico

    The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , also Porto Rico and more commonly Puerto Rico, is a United States [i] ... 

     and the Virgin Islands Virgin Islands

    The Virgin Islands are an archipelago [i] in the Leeward Islands [i] in the Caribbean Sea [i]. ... 

    . These are part of what are in English called the Leeward Islands Leeward Islands

    The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles [i]. ... 

    , but in e.g. French French language

    French is the third-largest of the Romance languages [i] in terms of number of native speakers, after Spanish [i] ... 

    , Spanish Spanish language

    Spanish or Castilian is an Iberian Romance language [i]. ... 

    , German German language

    German is a West Germanic language [i]. ... 

    , Dutch Dutch language

    Dutch is a West Germanic [i] language [i] spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands [i] ... 

     and the English spoken locally these are considered part of the Windward Islands.
    • Saba Saba

      Saba is the smallest island [i] of the Netherlands Antilles [i], located at longitude 63.13 degrees West ... 

    • Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius

      Sint Eustatius is one of the islands making up the Netherlands Antilles [i]; it is in the northern, Leeward Islands [i] ... 

    • Sint Maarten Saint Martin

      Saint Martin is a tropical island [i] in the northeast Caribbean [i], approximately 240 km east of Puerto Rico [i] ... 

      , the southern half of the island Saint Martin Saint Martin

      Saint Martin is a tropical island [i] in the northeast Caribbean [i], approximately 240 km east of Puerto Rico [i] ... 

       .

Geography



The windward islands are all of volcanic origin and hilly, leaving little ground suitable for agriculture Agriculture

Farming redirects here. For Farming in computer games, see Farmer [i].
... 

. The leeward islands have a mixed volcanic and coral origin. The highest point is Mount Scenery, 862 metres , on Saba Saba

Saba is the smallest island [i] of the Netherlands Antilles [i], located at longitude 63.13 degrees West ... 

 .

The Netherlands Antilles have a tropical Tropics

The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth [i] centered on the equator [i] and limited in latitude [i] ... 

 climate Climate

The climate is commonly considered to be the weather [i] averaged over a long period of time, typically ... 

, with warm weather all year round. The windward Islands are subject to hurricanes Tropical cyclone

In meteorology [i], a tropical cyclone is a storm system fueled by the heat released when moist air rise ... 

 in the summer months.

Economy


Tourism Tourism

Tourism is the act of travel [i] for predominantly recreation [i]al or leisure [i] purposes, and also re ... 

, petroleum transshipment and oil refinement , as well as offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. The islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure as compared with other countries in the region. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with Venezuela Venezuela

Venezuela is a country on the northern tropical [i] Caribbean [i] coast of South America [i] ... 

, the United States United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

, and Mexico Mexico

The United Mexican States, generally known as Mexico is a country [i] located in North America [i] ... 

 being the major suppliers, as well as the Dutch government which supports the islands with substantial development aid. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture Agriculture

Farming redirects here. For Farming in computer games, see Farmer [i].
... 

. The Antillean guilder has a fixed exchange rate with the United States dollar United States dollar

For details of current paper money [i] and coins, see Federal Reserve Note [i] and United States coinage [i] ... 

 of 1.79:1.

Demographics


A large part of the Netherlands Antilleans descends from European colonists and Africa Africa

Africa is one of the greatest sized continents of the Earth.... 

n slave Slavery

Slavery is the social and legal designation of specific person [i]s as property [i] or chattel, for the ... 

s that were brought and traded here from the 17th 17th century

As a means of recording the passage of time [i], the 17th century was that century [i] which lasted from ... 

 to 19th century 19th century

The 19th century lasted from 1801 [i] through 1900 [i] in the Gregorian calendar [i].
... 

. The rest of the population originates from other Caribbean islands, Latin America Latin America

Latin America is the region [i] of the Americas [i] where Romance language [i]s those derived from Latin [i] ... 

, East Asia East Asia

East Asia is a subregion [i] of Asia [i] that can be defined in either geographical [i] or cul ... 

 and elsewhere in the world.

Papiamentu is predominant on Curaçao and Bonaire . This Romance creole descends from Portuguese Portuguese language

Portuguese is an Iberian Romance language [i], of the Indo-European family [i] ... 

 with a strong Spanish Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is an Iberian Romance language [i]. ... 

 admixture plus subsequent lexical contributions from Dutch and, latterly, English English language

English is a widely distributed language that originated in England [i] but is now the primary language ... 

. Nevertheless, the official language of the islands is Dutch Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic [i] language [i] spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands [i] ... 

, and English on St Maarten, Saba and St Eustatius. Legislation is produced in Dutch but parliamentary debate is in Papiamentu or English, depending on the island. Due to the islands' closeness to South America, Spanish is becoming increasingly known and used throughout the archipelago.

The majority of the population are followers of the Christian Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic [i] religion [i] centered on Jesus of Nazareth [i] ... 

 faith, mostly Roman Catholic Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church is the Christian [i] Church [i] ... 

. Curaçao also hosts a sizeable group of Jew Jew

Jews are followers of Judaism [i] or, more generally, members of the Jewish people , an ethno [i]... 

s, descendants of a Portuguese Portugal

Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic is located in southwestern Europe [i] on the Iberian Peninsula [i] ... 

 group of Sephardic Jews that arrived from Amsterdam and Brazil Brazil

Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest and most populous country [i] ... 

 in 1654.

Most Netherlands Antilleans are Dutch citizens Dutch nationality law

Dutch nationality law is based primarily on the principle of Jus sanguinis [i]. ... 

 and this status permits and encourages the young and university-educated to emigrate to the Netherlands. This exodus is considered to be to the islands' detriment as it creates a brain drain. On the other hand, immigrants from the Dominican Republic Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic, is a country located on the eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean [i] ... 

, Haiti Haiti

Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti, occupies one third of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola [i]... 

, the Anglophone Caribbean and Colombia Colombia

The Republic of Colombia , is the northwesternmost country of South America [i]. ... 

 have increased their presence in the last years.

Culture

The origins of the population and location of the islands give the Netherlands Antilles a mixed culture. The Wikipedia articles on the specific islands have more information on culture.

Tourism and overwhelming media presence from the United States United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 has increased the regional United States influence. On all the islands, the holiday of Carnival Carnival

A carnival is a public celebration [i] or parade [i] combining some elements of a circus [i] ... 

 is, like in many Caribbean Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region [i] of the Americas [i] consisting of the Caribbean Sea [i], its island [i]s... 

 and Latin America Latin America

Latin America is the region [i] of the Americas [i] where Romance language [i]s those derived from Latin [i] ... 

n countries, an important one.

See also: Music of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles, Culture of St. Martin

Miscellaneous topics

Both the land area and population of the Netherlands Antilles are just more than half that of Zeeland Zeeland

[i], is a province of the [[Netherlands]... 

, a mainland province. Unlike the metropolitan Netherlands, same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage is the union [i] of two people who are of the same biological sex [i], or gender [i] ... 

s cannot be performed here, but those performed in other jurisdictions are recognized. Also unlike the mainland, prostitution and marijuana are also illegal.

  • Communications in the Netherlands Antilles
  • Foreign relations of the Netherlands Antilles
  • Military of the Netherlands Antilles
  • Postage stamps and postal history of the Netherlands Antilles Postage stamps and postal history of the Netherlands Antilles

    This is a survey of the postage stamp [i]s and postal history [i] of the Netherlands Antilles [i].

... 


  • Transportation in the Netherlands Antilles
  • Scouting Antiano Scouting Antiano

    The Netherlands Antilles [i] is served by two Scout [i] associations, Scouting Antiano, and ... 

  • Antillenhuis-- Cabinet of the minister plenipotentiary of the Netherlands Antilles in the Hague

External links

  • - Main governmental site
  • of the Netherlands Antilles
  • - Cabinet of the Netherlands Antilles' Plenipotentiary Minister in the Netherlands
  • [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/nt.html CIA World Factbook: Netherlands Antilles]